Freedom Lies Beneath Reality
by Volk-89
Summary: When you lose everything, who do you turn to? When everything is handed back to you on a silver plate, would you believe it's too good to be true? Is it for real? Is it a sick joke? Or is this what lies beneath reality? Shoujo-ai warning!
1. Prolouge: When They're All Dead And Gone

Freedom Lies Beneath Reality:

Prologue:

When They're All Dead And Gone

Disclaimer: Okay I don't own any of these characters, places, etc as you already know, and even if you tried to take me to court, I only have ten pounds in my account so you're welcome to it, it's worth it!

Authors notes: Inspired by the song 'how to be dead' by Snow patrol... Ah yes, my first ever fanfic I've started _and_ completed. I wrote this one in June and I'm sorry if it gets a bit weird in the middle, but I moved house half way through writing it so yeah....Whatever. Does anyone ever actually bother to read the authors notes anyway? Meh. RR to 

Darkness. Total darkness. That's all I could feel that day. Empty and alone...The newly re-built Home had been destroyed, along with old friends and family. Yevon... That name... Still makes me... So angry! It all happened so fast. I should have been there to help protect Home really, but I was being my usual selfish self, out hunting for spheres for my own personal gain. I always thought that there was nothing Pops couldn't handle, but now I know that to assume is... to make an ass out of you and me. I'd never prepared for something like that. Death. Destruction. I'd assumed that I'd be a little girl forever, going on adventures, like being Yuma's guardian or hunting spheres forever and that I'd always have a home to come back to and a father to look after me between adventures... More fool me. I didn't know how to look after myself back then... I'd never had reason to learn, I'd always had people to hide behind. I needed someone to teach me. No, that's a lie, I just wanted someone near me I guess, but that's what a situation like mine does to you... Well, in my opinion anyway but... I thought I didn't have anyone to turn to at the time. Cid was gone dead... cold lying next to me in the sand... Yuna had married some jerk and had god knows how many of his children. That thought still makes me shudder... She could do so much better. Auron had been... Sent and Kimarih was busy returning the Ronso tribe to it's former glory, while Wakka was returning to Blitzball glory, the Besaid Aurochs were the world champions, but were more pleased about the fact that they had their old Captain back. Paine was gone... Nobody was quite sure where, but there were some very varied rumours going about at the time... That only left Lulu... Lulu, Lulu, Lulu... The angel from my nightmares... My heart still skips a beat just thinking about her... I remember just burying my face in the harsh Bikanel sand and just whispering her name over and over again after realising that she was the only person I had left to turn to... We were close in a way... I told her almost everything while we were guarding Yunie together... I told her absolutely everything about myself... Well, except for my undying love for her I guess... I think I was just lying in the sand after that, memories of Lulu and all the time we shared flooding back to me, relentlessly assaulting my mind... I thought I was going to die out there... Die and never get a chance to tell her how I really felt... I guess I passed out from de-hydration after that... I don't know it gets a little fuzzy, but the rest is crystal clear. The rest is _my _story.


	2. Chapter One: Burn Out

Freedom Lies Beneath Reality:

Chapter One:

Burn Out.

"Ugh... My head" mumbled the young Al-bhed as the searing pain of attempting to sit up forced her to collapse back down again. The sand around her felt unusually soft, almost bed like, but it still offered little comfort to her aching mind and body.

"Where am -" She couldn't finish her sentence, cut short by a coughing fit, she lay there clutching her stomach. Waves of pain flooded through Rikku's frail body as tears threatened to spill from her half closed eyes, barely open enough to notice a shadowy figure making their way towards her.

"Besaid" A familiar, soft voice stated You're in Besaid... Don't worry; I'll take care of you until you leave. Undoubtedly you already have your next big adventure planned out."

"Lu" Once again, Rikku's sentence was cut short by another coughing fit, this one slightly worse and more prolonged than the last.

"Shhh" Said the still slightly obscure figure. "You were out there a long time... You're dehydrated... And lucky to be alive."

"But..."

"No buts... Please just rest. I'll take care of everything for now" Rikku nodded slowly, her body numb as an after-effect of the shockwaves coursing through her. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep, lulled by the sounds of the source of her only comfort dragging a chair over to wherever she had passed out.

Once Lulu had made sure that Rikku was definitely asleep, she placed the small blonde's limp hand into her own while checking her temperature with the other. The dark mage shook her head and sighed.

"It's the same thing again... But it could become a problem if... We don't deal with it now."

That night, I had the best nights sleep I'd ever had since the end of Yunie's pilgrimage... No, it wasn't just Yunie's pilgrimage, it was our pilgrimage. It wasn't just Tidus' story either; it was everybody's story. The events of those few days made me think, they forced me to open my eyes up to the real world as opposed to the sugar coated illusion I'd created in my head. I realised that I needed a life, not just another adventure.


End file.
